Heuchera plant named ‘Canyon Melody’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Heuchera plant named ‘Canyon Melody’, which is characterized by its compact habit and flowers with medium pink calyces and exerted white petals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention is hereby cross-referenced to the three related claimed inventions entitled Heuchera ‘Canyon Belle’ (Ser. No. 09/203,862), Heuchera ‘Canyon Duet’ (Ser. No. 09/203,861), and Heuchera ‘Canyon Chimes’ (Ser. No. 09/203,864) which all four together resulted from the same breeding program as herein described.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This new cultivar Heuchera is the result of a long-term, controlled breeding program that was conducted by Dara Emery, Plant Breeder at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG), from the early 1980s until his death in 1992. ‘Canyon Melody’ is a hybrid of female or seed parent Heuchera ‘Canyon Pink’ (unpatented) and the male or pollen parent Heuchera elegans (unpatented).

The objective of this breeding program was to select for compact, floriferous forms of Heuchera that were more diminutive than other forms in the nursery trade. Plants that exhibited an overall dwarf stature of low growing, mounding foliage and flowers that are similarly proportioned were selected from the various crosses made. At least one of the parents had to be a native California species, in keeping with the overall mission of SBBG's breeding program to develop garden-worthy plants from the state's native flora. In this case, H. elegans is the California native; it has white-pink flowers and was used for its compact size. Heuchera ‘Canyon Pink’ is an earlier selection bred by Mr. Emery that is an F1 hybrid of Heuchera elegans and a hybrid form of Heuchera sanguinea, the latter being an Arizonan species that is much larger in habit and used for its red flowers. ‘Canyon Pink’ had proven itself to be an outstanding cultivar, and the breeder wanted to continue using it in subsequent crosses.

The closest comparison plants are the female or seed parent Heuchera ‘Canyon Pink’ and the male or pollen parent Heuchera elegans. ‘Canyon Melody’ is distinguishable from ‘Canyon Pink’ by its more compact habit, smaller foliage and shorter flower stalks. ‘Canyon Melody’ is distinguishable from Heuchera elegans by its medium pink calyx color.

The cultivar was first and subsequently asexually reproduced by the inventor at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in Santa Barbara, Calif. by vegetative cuttings. Tip cuttings 2 to 3 inches long were put in flats of medium grade perlite and placed in a lath house mist bed with bottom heat and intermittent mist of de-ionized water. All plants so obtained exhibited identical characteristics, which were true to the original plant.

A closely related cultivar is the variety Heuchera ‘Canyon Pink’ (unpatented), which was selected by the inventor at an earlier stage in the breeding program and introduced to commerce. It is referred to and described herein as a comparison variety but is not the subject of any claim.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The features that together distinguish this cultivar from other Heuchera cultivars are as follows:

1. Compact habit.

2. The flowers with medium pink calyces and exerted white petals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying photographs depict the entire plant and a close-up of several flower stalks, illustrating the distinguishing overall habit and flower color, respectively. The illustrated plant is one-year-old grown out of doors in open ground in sandy loam soil with filtered shade at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in Santa Barbara, Calif. The color is as true as can be reasonably achieved by conventional photographic procedures.

Sheet 1 shows a young plant in the ground in full bloom. Note the dense foliage and that the contrast of the white petals with the pink calyces lends a delicate texture to this cultivar.

Sheet 2 shows a close-up of several flower stalks, illustrating the contrasting petals and calyces in greater detail.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivar ‘Canyon Melody’. Observations, measurements, color determinations and comparisons were made at The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, Calif., from two-year-old plants grown out of doors in loamy clay soil with part shade. All color values are based on the 1995 Edition of The Royal Horticultural Colour Chart, Royal Horticultural Society of London, England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Where the variety exhibits different characteristics from the comparison commercial variety Heuchera ‘Canyon Pink’, the relative values or dimensions are shown in parentheses. The comparison variety has been observed under the same growing and climatic conditions as the new cultivar.

Plant origin: Seedling from controlled breeding program.

Parentage:

Pollen parent.—Heuchera elegans.

Seed parent.—Heuchera ‘Canyon Pink’.

Propagation: Reproduces readily the exact same characteristics from tip cuttings or division as ‘Canyon Melody’.

Rooting habit: Fibrous.

Time to develop roots: Approximately 25 days are required to form a well-developed root system. Productivity: Produces generous number of flower stalks in spring and early summer, may rebloom again in later summer or fall with ample water.

Blooming habit: Recurrent.

Resistance to disease: We have experienced some losses of liners during unusually hot weather, possiblydue to fungal pathogens in the soil. This clone is more susceptible than the other three claimed inventions.

Insects: As with most Heucheras, ‘Canyon Melody’ is susceptible to mealybug infestations.

Culture: Best in part shade and loamy soil with fairly regular watering.

Growth: Medium growth rate. Hardiness: Estimated to be Zone 6a.

Landscape value: Small-scale groundcover, edging plant, in rock gardens, or as a container specimen.

Form: Scapose perennial with many crowded rosettes from a semi-woody erect to ascending rootstock.

Height of plant: 12 to 23 cm.

Width of plant: Approximately 31.5 cm.

Foliage:

Leaves: in basal rosettes.—Petioles: Color: 144A. Length: 30 to 70 mm long. Texture: pilose. Leaf Blades (5 to 7-lobed): Length: 20 to 30 mm. Width: 25to 30 mm. Shape: broadly cordate to almost round. Margins: weakly toothed, ciliate. Color: Varies between 137A and 137B. Texture: Upper: glabrous. Lower: glabrous.

Inflorescence: Panicle, 1 to 2 per rosette, 12 to 20 cm long; Peduncle, 4 to 10 cm long; rachis surface, puberulent to pilose. Primary branches, 8 to 15, each branch with 2 to 8 flowers.

Flower:

Buds.—Color: 54A. Length: 5 to 6 mm. Width: 3 mm. Shape: narrowly pear-shaped. Hypanthium (Externally glandular-pubescent): Color: 54C. Length: 9 to 10 mm (including sepals, tube and ovary). Width: 3 mm. Shape: Narrowly campanulate. Tube length: 7 to 8 mm.

Sepals.—Color: 54B. Number: 5. Length: 2.5 mm. Width: 2 mm. Shape: Rounded. Texture: glandular. Margins: entire and glandular hairy.

Petals.—Color: Overall white, but faintly pink-tinged with age, color much lighter than 36D. Number: 5. Length: 5 to 6 mm (inserted just below free portion of sepals). Shape: Narrowly oblanceolate. Texture: glabrous. Margins: entire and glabrous.

Stamens.—Number: 5. Length: 2 to 3 mm. Filaments: Color: White. Shape: Linear. Anthers: Color: 24B. Length: 0.5 mm. Shape: Oval.

Pistil.—Length: 2.5 to 3.5 mm. Styles: Color: White. Number: 2. Length: 2.5 mm. Shape: Linear.

Ovaries.—Position: Partly inferior. Carpels (Fused below midpoint to hypanthium): Color: 149B (free portions above attachment to hypanthium). Number 2. Length: 4 mm.

Fruit.—Many seeded capsule. Color: 200D. Length: 6 mm. Width: 1.5 mm. Shape: Oblanceolate.

Seed.—Minute. Color: Black (202A). Length: 0.75 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Surface: Echinate (minutely spinose). 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Heuchera plant named ‘Canyon Melody’ as described and illustrated herein. 